project "T103"

[bondy]

i`ve just ended the listings in my ebay shop for the zed engine and exhaust. the thing is, i`ve really done the oil cooled thing. i`ve had 6 b6`s and 3 b12`s. a slingy 11 too. i`ve just bought a haynes manual off the bay. this build was going to be a bit more in depth than the bandit build, but i love the look of the old zed lumps. i have decided on fitting the zrx swing arm too. so, on that note lee. if you do have a minute to sort out the cd rom. i`d much appreciate it. new year. new learning curve.

[bondy]

minor progress.

i have now sorted out someone to make me a new stem. 3rd time lucky. a couple of lads unfortunately couldn`t proceed with this. other commitments, etc. anyway, the yokes will be sent out to him shortly. should be around 100 quid to have the new bits sorted. i have bought another frame too. i now have 4.

1. good z900 frame. not registered. (for sale)
2. good z1100 frame. registered. quite a bit of work to make things fit. (for sale)
3. good z900 frame. registered. seat rails cut off. (for sale)
4. good z1000 frame. registered. all in tact.

so i will now sell the first 3 which will pay for the cost of the 4th one. plus there is no work swapping over seat rails, etc.

i am now using the zrx1200 rear swinger. i have fallen for its looks. and i will now be using the bandit 12 engine. for me to get the zed lump upto the same kind of power as the bandit engine, i would have to inject alot of money into cams and carbs, etc. also, it may have something to do with the fact that a z1000 engine sold on the bay last week for 790 quid.

[bondy]

had a play with the swing arm today. i received the z thou frame last week and this is the one i will be using. i had to get a couple of bits which were missing when i got the arm. i bought new seals. lh and rh. and the rh top hat bush was missing too.

[bondy]

the ZRX swing arm dont fit in the frame at the moment. i knocked the inards out of the arm and had a measure up. the width of the inner spacer tube, bearing and top hat bush is 238mm. the gap between the frame pivot points is 235mm. the swing arm is also 235mm.

[bondy]

so, i need to loose around 3mm on the width. the big roller bearing (item 601) is 12mm wide. so i reckon i will fit one which is 9mm wide. i dont have to mess about with cutting the spacer tube down then. this will allow the tube to slide in a bit giving me that extra 3mm. i will probably shave the outer alloy tube of the swing arm down too. there is enough room inside the shoulder for the dust seal to slide in a bit. any more adjustments required, i can trim a bit off the length of the rh top hat bush. i will need to make another one anyway as the ZRX pivot bolt is 20mm and the zed pivot bolt is 16mm. so, i can sort both problems out at the same time. i just need to sleeve down the lh side. may be able to fit a very thin walled top hat bush if i can get enough clearance.

i have sent my yokes away now to have a new stem and top nut made. once these are done, i can fit the front end. i may have a new top yoke made yet as well. depends what mood i`m in when i speak to the guy who`s making the bits. i like the look of the bottom aprilia yoke, but the top yoke is a bit flimsy and i want to fit risers.

[bondy]

here is my state of the art workshop facility.



i need to have a good tidy up i think.

i was out tinkering again last night. i was having a measure up to try and work out how the rear wheel would fit into the ZRX arm. a couple of options were open to me.

1. get a new spindle made at 25mm o/d to fit the eccentric ZRX adjusters and fit a spacer of around the 18mm mark on the rh side.

2. have a spacer tube made to fit between the ZRX adjusters to go from the kwak diameter of 20mm upto the prili diameter of 25mm.

then, i had a look at the aprilia spindle. it is hollow with a very thin wall. i tried the ZRX spindle inside the aprilia one and it fits perfectly.

result!

[bondy]

the aprilia rear wheel sits slightly offset in the standard arm. the swing arm is further out to the left side than to the right. it looks quite odd when you look at the aprilia swing arm out of the bike. when a spacer of 18mm is fitted to the rh side of the spindle, this takes up the gap between the kwak arm nicely. the wheel will run a mm off centre line. thats fuck all. i can compensate for that when i fit the swing arm in the frame.

so, chop the aprilia stem up to fit is the answer. get a spacer made and thats another step sorted. i just need to sort out a way of stopping the caliper bracket from swinging round under braking now. that should be an easy fix.

this is the wheel sitting loose in the arm.

[bondy]

managed to get the spindle sorted out tonight.

here is the standard ZRX set up.



i cut the head of the aprilia spindle off and filed it square.



a square held to the end up against the light.



marked the spindle out at 270mm



cut it off, filed and squared it until it was a perfect fit.



its now fitted over the ZRX spindle.



here`s the assembly together. the gap for the spacer is measuring out at 15.43mm. this will make the wheel sit about 2mm offset in the swingarm. i have measured up for a block to be welded to the inside of the arm with a 14mm diameter rod to sit inside the caliper bracket. this will work perfectly.



a better view of the finished wheel/swing arm set up.

[bondy]

a little more progress tonight. i received the new swing arm bearing in the post today. my cunning plan to shrink the width of the pivot point.



the bearing was fitted and then i went about filing away about 3mm from the lh side of the pivot tube. checking with a square as i went. i had to chop off a few bits on the frame to allow the arm to sit in. because the arm is wider, the rear foot rest points had to go. i filed about 2mm off the rh side of the pivot tube too to give it a little bit of breathing room whilst i fitted the arm into the frame. it fits like a mouses hear hole. i still have 1mm of play if i need to file off a bit more. i wont know that until i have all the spacers and bushes fitted and i can get a proper idea of the wheel centre.



i need to wait now for the bits to be machined up. it may take a week or two, so i doubt there will be much in the way of progress until then.
i may take a look at the engine. make a start fabricating the mounting plates

[bondy]

i got an email tonight to say my stem and top nut have been done. i`ll put a better piccy up when i get it back.

[bondy]

i spoke to the guy who made my stem and we talked about making a new top yoke. i like the standard bottom yoke as it is, so if a new top one was going to be made. it would need to look similar. to be honest, i do like the top yoke the way it is but also want to fit risers. my main concern is obviously strength if the risers were to be bolted or appearance if the risers were to be welded. as it stands at the moment, i am going to rebuild the front end and get it fitted to the frame. this will then allow me to get a good look and a feel for how the bike will look and sit. i can work out where the new rear shock mounts will sit and most importantly, i can then measure the rake and trail. this will give me an idea as to how it will handle. if need be, then i may have to re think the yokes set up. he has a number of a guy who in his opinion is a better welder than the guys at spondon. thats who i will try and use if i go down the welded riser route. we are in talks at the moment about getting the rest of the bits machined. i cant wait to get it rolling now. i have started making the strengthening plates and have tacked them to the frame. i need to get some round tube now to do the rest. i will have to make new mounting positions for the new side panels too. i have bought some z1 panels and tail piece for that early look. i dont like the z900/z1000 side panels as much. i sold another frame last night too. so, i only have 1 left now.

[bondy]

i just bought a couple of stainless 14mm bolts off ebay. i will use one to keep the rear caliper from twirling round. make a plate, drill and tap a 14mm hole, weld plate to swing arm and fit bolt into position with stud lock. cut the head off and job done.

[bondy]

it will do the job of item number 1 from this page of the illustrated parts catalogue

[bondy]

i have had a fuckin letter from the dvla today stating that the red zed frame has not been registered in this country for a while. it is on their system as being exported. to make matters worse, i sold the z900 frame last week because it needed the seat rails repairing. and that frame was registered in my name. fuck, fuck, fuck.

i quote.

dear mr bond

vehicle registration number pjm bla bla

i have received your recent application for a registration certificate, (copy attached)

as the vehicle has been notified as permanently exported, i am unable to issue a registration certificate.

if the vehicle is now back in this country, please re-register it at your nearest dvla local office.

i apologise for any inconvenience caused.

yours sincerely

sue james
central casework group

i wouldn`t mind but i had the v5 for the fuckin thing too. sent it off as per usual.

right, i feel like fucking scrapping this project. selling all the bits off and thats the end of the c***. maybe, i will feel a bit better tomorrow.

options please.

how easy is it to register the frame. obviously, it will be totally non standard and the whole idea was to have a bike which was registered before 86. then i can run loud pipes, etc.

answers on a postcard please. make me feel better.

[bondy]

the dvla now see it as being imported into the country. they will want a letter of shipping. a copy of the sales invoice and then there`s the best bit. import duty and va fuckin t.